Drug Rep makes as much as a pharmacist???

[Cokie]

I had a roommate one year who's sister was a drug rep. She said she made as much as a pharmacist does ($100,000+) with lots of benefits (meals, trips, car, etc.) Does anyone know if this is possible? She said it was because she was in the "best" drug rep group in the state and that's why she made so much. Honestly, I doubt that her Health degree + drug rep career could give her that amount of money.

Anyone know the salary for drug reps these days or if she was just lying to my face?

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[BMBiology]

Some reps make that much if not more. It depends on your bonus and how high you wear your skirt. It is not easy though.

 

[Priapism321]

I had a roommate one year who's sister was a drug rep. She said she made as much as a pharmacist does ($100,000+) with lots of benefits (meals, trips, car, etc.) Does anyone know if this is possible? She said it was because she was in the "best" drug rep group in the state and that's why she made so much. Honestly, I doubt that her Health degree + drug rep career could give her that amount of money.

Anyone know the salary for drug reps these days or if she was just lying to my face?

All of what you heard is possible, and beyond true.

 

[ForcedEntry]

If the they are paid based on commission alone, consider the salary of the Pfizer reps if they received .001% of regional sales for only Viagra.

Worldwide they would be sharing 3 - 5 million dollars this year.

 

[MountainPharmD]

Hey they have to be able to afford the boob jobs,make-up, short skirts ect.. Being a drug rep is real hard work they deserve it.👎

 

[ZpackSux]

They have to sell their soul

 

[Doctor M]

They have to sell their soul

I dont talk to drug reps. I use to. When I see one come over, my tech goes over. Sorry, but if I start talking to them I will be tied up for 10-15 minutes sometimes. Patients are waiting...unless of course they are hot...j/k

 

[WVUPharm2007]

A pharmacist I worked under for a rotation at a small rural hospital demanded pizza for his staff before the reps even got to spoke to him.....it was his entry fee.

 

[dr of rx]

Some may make that much, but I bet most do not. I could never do it....I'd feel like a *****.

..sit around like a puppy waiting for an entire office to give you their Olive Garden order...the docs grab some food and ignore you....sounds worse than retail pharmacy.

 

[confettiflyer]

drug rep jobs are nothing more than sales positions. There's no middle ground in sales, either you bust your ass and make diddly squat, or you bust your ass and make six figures. Unfortunately, there's practically no job security. You're only as good as your last quarter of performance. Of course, there's management potential...but nowhere near the security of a Pharm.D.

Besides...I worked in mortgage sales, and i hated selling stuff. But if you're good at that, then being a drug rep is a nice way to make $$$ really quick. You didn't think you were gonna get rich with pharmacy, were you?

 

[IndustryPharmD]

Yes, some sales reps do make six figures. But they are few and far between, the best of the best. Starting and averages are much, much lower. Besides, it's a base salary + bonus. If you aren't lucky to get a product that brings big bonuses - whatever you do, you wan't get good money. Besides, everyone is now slashing their workforce, just listen to the earnings calls. Some are hiring, of course, but being a newcomer to the field, you would be at a disadvantage. Still, if that's what you want to do, you can try. Not something I would ever do - travelling so much that oil change becomes a major planning issue - it's not fun. And you have no life, and no overtime pay. Look at all the class action lawsuites by sales reps... Some people love it, though - my roommate is a sales rep for Eli Lilly (at least, she was a year ago), and loved it.

 

[eddie269]

Surprise! Welcome to the world of sales. The only field where little to zero education is needed yet you can make as much, if not more than the MD's, DDS's, PharmD's, etc. Not everyone can hack it but the ones that do are well off.

I was at my Dr's office waiting for some forms and out of no where, this huge breasted, high skirted, high heel wearing, blouse-unbuttoned, hot lady walked in with a huge bag of samples asking to speak to the Doctor. Mind you, this was a Chinese dominated practice where all the patients, employees, and physicians were Chinese. Yet this blue eyed blond hair chick walks in and I immediately knew she was a drug rep before she opened the door.

A lot of fake smiles between the female med. asst. and the drug rep. Not sure if she was successful because she drove an older model car. Usually, the rep's act like real estate agents and drive around in the nicest cars to show the customers they aren't playing and their products are the best.

I can never do it. It;s literally convincing (bribing) a doctor into prescribiing med A over their competitors. Lots of free food, tickets, vacations, etc. Where do you think all those free Valium pens and notepads come from?

 

[Old Timer]

How I long for the Good old days....

Interesting Fact: Back in the stone age ALL Lilly Sales reps were pharmacists. That's when they actually new something about the product.

I had a friend who was an Upjohn rep. He was outstanding. When Halcion first came out, he was at the medical school libraries learning about insomnia and researching the competition on his own. He had 25 years in and made a fortune. He got five weeks vacation. He got me an interview and the very first thing the guy said to be was, you can't be like your friend. It's no longer permitted. That was the beginning of the young good looking guys and gals as drug reps. They have to be promotable or their salary stays low. So I'm sure some hustler (in the work ethic sense) can make that much. But is your work retail and hustle let's say 50 hours per week you can earn over $135,000.00 per year... If that salesperson is making that much, she's putting in the extra effort nit just doing her 40 hours and letting it be....

The moral of the story is if you are a go getter, you can make plenty of money in just about any field.....

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

I got a classmate who was in his 30's and already losing hair. He is a smart fellow and a drug rep before that. He said he was easily making 100k but for some reason just quit and pursued pharmacy instead. I do love seeing drug reps who have no idea what they are talking about get raped when they try to sell drugs to a group of pharmacists in the hospital. I mean literally, its sad but funny. You can easily tell which drug rep is a pharmacist and who isnt.

 

[Hels2007]

I got a classmate who was in his 30's and already losing hair. He is a smart fellow and a drug rep before that. He said he was easily making 100k but for some reason just quit and pursued pharmacy instead. I do love seeing drug reps who have no idea what they are talking about get raped when they try to sell drugs to a group of pharmacists in the hospital. I mean literally, its sad but funny. You can easily tell which drug rep is a pharmacist and who isnt.

Oh yes. I remember feeling very, very sorry for a drug rep who came to talk about Januvia when I was doing my Drug Info rotation. It was her first day on the job, and she slaughtered the mechanism of action part.